A Seemingly Banal Conversation
by Child of the Muse
Summary: "Severus, I believe you know why I have called you here today?" "I trust that I am here so you may offer to poison me with with your accursed sugary confections, sing the praises of a green eyed half witted arrogant swine, and than proceed to regale me about how said boy wonder can do no wrong. So for once, if I am right, spare me, Albus and cut straight to the point."


"Severus, I believe you know why I have called you here today?"

That merlin be damned blue gaze glittered at me teasingly, expectantly almost, from behind the half moon spectacles that rested on his crooked twice broken nose. This was, indeed, the only object that appeared at least somewhat normal on the odd, eccentrically dressed, long silver-bearded exceedingly old meddlesome fool.

"I trust that I am here so you may offer to poison me with with your accursed sugary confections, sing the praises of a green eyed half witted arrogant swine, and than proceed to regale me about how said boy wonder can do no wrong. So for once, if I am right, spare me, Albus and cut straight to the point."

"Severus, I do not think-"

But he cut off at my glare and with a look in his eyes that was as cold as it was calculating, he said. "You are the boys father, Severus."

I grit my teeth, locking them in place, aware that I was gripping the arms of the chair I sat in rather…rigorously. I was also aware that this was not my chair that I was exuding such an underserving punishment upon. However, at that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care. How very much like Albus this was…to give into my demands and beat me at my own game of chess…so to speak. And however I foolishly may have asked for it, I could not bring myself to dispel the nausea that writhed in the pit of my belly like a nest of angry vipers. It struck me now, as it often did, how miraculously bewildering it was to face a seemingly senescent Gryffidor…one who so very clearly belonged in Slytherin.

I found it exceedingly hard to speak through gritted teeth and I unlocked my jaw, however slightly, in order to procure speech. But I found that I truly was rendered speechless by the impeccably horrendous taste in what I assured myself must be the world's most egregious jest.

"I presume you erroneously believe me to subsist to this waste of time, but I shall not be the laughingstock of your clearly senile delusions. If you are through wasting my time, than I shall procure your request for resignation, seeing as how you are obviously too befuddled to write it yourself-"

"Sit down and listen, Severus."

"_Sit down?_ Oh indeed, _sit down and listen._ _Sit down and listen_ as I place upon you the esteemed and honored prerogative of guarding aforesaid swine for the gutting. _Sit down and listen_ as I utilize my cunning subterfuge to influence said ignoramus to imperil himself, yet _again!_ _Sit down and listen-"_

"Perhaps, than, you should have listened to my explanation Severus, instead of demanding answers without receiving an explanation."

_"There is no explanation!_ I am not, nor will I ever be, the boys father! Lily…_L__ily…" _My throat constricted, a lump of pain battling my airwaves for oxygen as my heart began beating in my head and the room began to spin. I felt a wizened old hand gently direct me to a couch, where I proceeded to gain control over the turbulent battleground that was my beaten soul. I deserved this, after all. Her death, was entirely upon my conscious.

A cup of hot tea was placed on the table in front of me. "You may pick it up when you are ready, Severus. Chamomile has many calming effects. Now please, listen closely. Harry has not had a proper family since the day he left Godrick's Hollow. He has been neglected, starved, and in some rare cases, beaten. At once point, almost to death. He has not led the life you so easily blind yourself into accepting for him. He is not James, Severus. He is you."

"Impossible. The glasses and the hair are clearly-"

"The boy has many of his mothers features. Almost all in fact. And until this year, I believed him to be the son of James Potter, as his hair bears a striking resemblance. But when he decided to grow his hair out this year, it hung rather in his face as yours does, no longer the untamable mess. It had the same thickness of his mother, but the fine black color of your hair. As for the glasses, your father, I believe, passed down the horrid eyesight. You may notice other idiosyncrasies I have not. He is your son, Severus. I tested the DNA myself."

"It…she…she was planning on leaving James. She was going to be with me. They'd had a fight and James…he cheated on her, just as I always knew he would. She came to me, seeking comfort for the first time since our fight. I could not deny Lily…I could never deny her. I showed her comfort and love. But I knew she had yet to move from her current residence. When she explained she was with child and couldn't leave…I thought it…I thought _Harry_...was his. I…I failed her in so many ways. I told Voldemort about the Prophecy. I didn't stop Sirius Black from naming Peter Pettigrew as the secret keeper. I didn't-"

"Severus, you stubbornly take her death upon your own too heavy shoulders, instead of seeing the situation as it was. _Peter Pettigrew_ betrayed Lily Potter. _Peter Pettigrew_ led Voldemort to the house. _Peter Pettigrew_ betrayed the trust everyone had placed in him. Severus, her death never was, in any way, your fault. The night you overheard part of the Prophecy, there was another spy already in your place. I only found the listening devices when I realized you had spied upon me. If it had not been for you, Voldemort would have known of the full prophecy, instead of only half of what he has now."

"And Po…" No. No, _he_ was no longer a Potter. "What does he know of this, Albus?"

"His reaction, I admit, did seem rather surprising given your…past history. But he wishes to start over, I believe his exact words were 'maybe we should just erase our past'. And I could not agree more, Severus, on that point. Now, if you find Spinner's End to be uncomfortable when housing two people-"

"I cannot! I am a death eater whom, as you have so apparently and quite _conveniently_ forgotten, serves a mad-man who wishes my…my s-son…dead." Son…I had a son...

"Well, obviously you will be retiring to take care of Harry, of course. The boy could use a life beyond the darkness he has known. Don't you believe he deserves a family, Severus?"

"Don't tell me what to do, Albus! You cannot control me, you cannot decide for me, and you certainly will not dictate my future as you have done for the boy! You and I both know very well the course this action would lead me to!"

"There are ways around this, Severus. There are ways to spare you from-"

_"You are sentencing me to death!"_

"No…no my dear boy. Not at all. I am sentencing you to _life!_ Please Severus, for me, do not merely survive. _Live!_ Do it for me. Do it for Lily. Do it for your son."

I knew, in that moment, I would do what I had to, just as I always had, to make sure that the boy…that _my_ boy was safe. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, scoffing. "You are oozing with revolting stomach-churning sentimentality, Albus. Your nauseating display of nostalgia has put me off more than simply my lunch and therefore, it would be best to cease before I find it impossible to bring myself down to the great hall for dinner."

"Ah, you mean what passes for dinner Severus? You barely eat enough to keep a flobberworm alive."

I found it exceedingly difficult to control the smirk directed at the old meddlesome codger. These types of half-hearted teasing conversations, whether they be on the effects of potions on the skin, the directions with which to use shampoo, greasy bats, or proper nutrition, never ceased to bring that infernal twitching to the corners of my lips.

"Indeed. If you than so choose to absolve me from this banal conversation, I shall take my leave. I believe I mentioned I have a resignation letter to compose for a cerebrally ill, mentally indisposed headmaster clearly suffering from dementia."

"Well than, let me leave you to it." I turned around, feeling victorious at having the last word, when he stopped me. "Oh, and Severus?"

"Yes?"

He returned a smirk worthy of a Slytherin. "Do be sure they keep me on the chocolate frog cards. As I've said many times, I do so love collecting them."

"And as I've said many times before this, you are clearly suffering from dementia."


End file.
